1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to providing an adjustable-depth crankbait fishing lure. More particularly, this invention concerns an adjustable-depth crankbait fishing lure in which the traveling depth of the lure may be manually adjusted by the user, thereby allowing the user to catch fish located at certain water depths. This invention also relates more generally to a system for turning one shaft through part of a rotation when another parallel shaft turns part of a rotation in the same direction of rotation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically, the feeding behavior of fish is highly dependent upon a number of variables such as the time of year, time of day, water temperature, and the amount of sunlight, to name a few. Depending upon the particular fish that the fisherman is endeavoring to catch, any one or a combination of any of the above variables may effect the location under the water""s surface at which the fish will be most inclined to feed. Since it is often impossible to predict with any precision the depth that the fish are feeding on any particular day without experimenting first with different lures, the fisherman is often compelled out of necessity to bring on the excursion many different lures designed to operate at different water depths in the hope of finding that one lure which the fish will respond to.
Given the impracticality and inconvenience of having to bring many different lures, necessitating trial-and-error techniques, each trial of which requires cutting and re-attaching the fishing line, to find the lure that works, fishermen have long strived to provide a single lure with multiple-depth capability. Responsive thereto, a variety of adjustable-depth fishing lures have been developed in an attempt to solve the aforementioned problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,350 issued to England discloses an adjustable-depth fishing lure in which a hydrostatic pressure-sensitive rotary piston assembly is used to manually adjust the pitch of the lateral fins, and then to level the fins when the desired depth, corresponding to a particular water pressure, has been achieved. Although this lure may be adequate for its intended use, the fact that the means to adjust the depth is located partially outside the body may make it susceptible to accidental changing of the pitch setting due to fish strikes, snags, or underwater debris.
Another example of a prior art method for providing adjustable depth capability to a lure is illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 1B of applicant""s disclosure. This lure comprises a substantially rubber body on which are mounted two adjustable fins coupled together by a rattle chamber passing transversely through, and frictionally held by, the lure body. Though this lure may also be adequate for its intended purpose, it also is susceptible to accidental changes in pitch setting since the means to control this setting (e.g., the fins) are located external to the body. In addition, the fact that the lure body is made of rubber may shorten its useable life span and possibly degrade the frictional cooperation between the rattle chamber and body, especially if used in salt-water, thus making more difficult the maintaining of the pitch setting. Thus, none of the prior art referred to herein will accomplish the purpose of the present invention.
A primary object of the present invention is to fulfill the above-mentioned need by the provision of an adjustable-depth crankbait fishing lure. A further primary object of the present invention is to provide such a fishing lure which is efficient, inexpensive, easy to use, and easy to manufacture. In addition, it is a primary object and feature of the present invention to provide such a fishing lure which is less prone to an accidental changing of the depth selection due to a fish strike or snagging of the lure on underwater debris. Another object and feature of this invention is to provide more generally a system for turning one shaft through part of a rotation when another parallel shaft turns part of a rotation in the same direction of rotation. More specifically, it is an object and feature of this invention to provide such a system wherein the position of both shafts can be easily changed by manually turning one shaft, but incidental forces on the other shaft will not change the positions of the shafts. Other objects and features of this invention will become apparent with reference to the following invention descriptions.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, this invention provides an adjustable-depth fishing lure, of the type used with a fishing line, for use in catching fish at user-selected water depths, comprising in combination: a buoyant substantially rigid body having a first side, a second side, and two artificial eyes; a diving means located adjacent such first side and such second side of such body, for assisting in forcing such body under the water""s surface; an adjustable-depth means, coupled to such diving means for adjustably setting the traveling depth of the fishing lure; a hooking means for hooking the fish; an attachment means for attaching the fishing lure to the fishing line; and a guard means for preventing accidental changing of such adjustable-depth means. Further, it provides such a fishing lure wherein such diving means comprises a first lateral fin and a second lateral fin, as well as such a fishing lure wherein such first lateral fin and such second lateral fin each comprises an elongated member having a top surface and a convex leading edge. In addition, this invention provides the fishing lure described above wherein each such top surface adjacent such leading edge comprises a substantially-circular indentation having an apex extending for a distance of about xe2x85x9 inch from a plane of such top surface. It also provides such a fishing lure wherein such guard means comprises an internal cavity within such body structured and arranged to substantially enclose such adjustable-depth means, and such a fishing lure wherein such body comprises a substantially wood material. This invention further provides such a fishing lure wherein such hooking means comprises a plurality of fish hooks.
In addition, this invention provides an adjustable-depth fishing lure, of the type used with a fishing line, for use in catching fish at user-selected water depths, comprising in combination: a buoyant substantially rigid body having a first side, a second side, and an internal cavity; a diving means, located adjacent such first side and such second side of such body, for assisting in forcing such body under the water""s surface; an adjustable-depth means, coupled to such diving means, for adjustably setting the traveling depth of the fishing lure, wherein such adjustable-depth means comprises: a rotatable shaft extending through a transverse first opening in such body, such shaft being attached to such diving means, a first arm, attached to and extending substantially perpendicularly from such shaft, such first arm being structured and arranged for pivoting rotationally within such cavity, and a blocker means, attached to such body, for selectively limiting rotation of such first arm; a hooking means for hooking the fish; an attachment means for attaching the fishing lure to the fishing line; and a guard means for preventing accidental changing of such adjustable-depth means. Further, this invention provides such a fishing lure wherein such blocker means comprises: an elongated first rotatable member extending transversely through a second opening in such body; and a second arm attached to and extending substantially perpendicularly from such first rotatable member, such second arm being structured and arranged for pivoting rotationally within such cavity; wherein such second arm is structured and arranged to engage such first arm. It also provides the fishing lure just described wherein such blocker means is user-adjustable in such manner that a user may adjustably limit such pivoting of such first arm upon manipulating such first rotatable member, and also such a fishing lure further comprising artificial eyes wherein such artificial eyes substantially comprise such first rotatable member. In addition, this invention provides this fishing lure wherein such blocker means comprises an elongated second rotatable member extending into such body, such second rotatable member having a first end structured and arranged to engage such first arm. It also provides such a fishing lure wherein such second rotatable member comprises a threaded outer surface structured and arranged to frictionally engage a threaded third opening in such body. Furthermore, this invention provides such a fishing lure wherein such blocker means is user-adjustable in such manner that a user may adjustably limit such pivoting of such first arm upon manipulating such second rotatable member.
In addition to the above, this invention provides an adjustable-depth fishing lure, for use in catching fish, of the type used with a fishing line, comprising, in combination: a buoyant substantially wood body having a substantially closed internal cavity and having a first opening extending substantially transversely through such body, such body having a first side and a second side; a rotatable shaft extending through such first opening; a first lateral fin attached to such shaft adjacent such first side of such body; a second lateral fin attached to such shaft adjacent such second side of such body; a first arm, attached to and extending substantially perpendicularly from such shaft, such first arm being structured and arranged for pivoting rotationally within such cavity; a blocker means, attached to such body, for selectively limiting rotation of such first arm; a hooking means for hooking the fish; and an attachment means for attaching the fishing lure to the fishing line. It also provides this fishing lure wherein such first lateral fin and such second lateral fin each comprises an elongated member, each such elongated member having a top surface and a convex leading edge; and wherein each such leading edge comprises a substantially circular indentation having an apex extending for a distance of about xe2x85x9 inch from such top surface. This invention also provides such a fishing lure wherein such. body comprises a transverse second opening, and such blocker means comprises: an elongated first rotatable member extending transversely through such second opening in such body; and a second arm attached to and extending substantially perpendicularly from such first rotatable member, such second arm being structured and arranged for pivoting rotationally within such cavity; wherein such second arm is structured and arranged to engage such first arm. It further provides such a fishing lure wherein an outer surface of such body comprises a plurality of depth-selection markers adjacent an end of such first rotatable member. It even further provides such a fishing lure wherein an outer surface of such body comprises a plurality of depth-selection markers adjacent either such first lateral fin or such second lateral fin. It also provides this fishing lure wherein such blocker means comprises an elongated second rotatable member extending into such body, such member having a first end structured and arranged to engage such first arm. Even further still, this invention provides such a fishing lure wherein such second rotatable member comprises a threaded outer surface structured and arranged to engage a threaded aperture in such body; and it also provides such a fishing lure wherein such body is provided with a plurality of depth-selection markers adjacent at least one such lateral fin.
Additionally still, this invention provides an adjustable-depth fishing lure, of the type used with a fishing line, for use in catching fish at user-selected water depths, comprising, in combination: a body having a first side, a second side, an internal cavity, and a traverse first opening, wherein such body is structured and arranged to attach to a hook and to a fishing line; two parallel fins on a common shaft wherein such shaft passes through such first opening in such body, one such fin is located adjacent to such first side of such body, and one such fin is located adjacent to such second side of such body; and a fin pitch control mechanism wherein such pitch control mechanism further comprises a first arm attached to, and substantially perpendicular to, such shaft wherein such arm is located within such internal cavity of such body. It also provides such a fishing lure wherein: such body further comprises a second opening; such pitch control mechanism further comprises a rotatable member, wherein such rotatable member is located in such second opening of such body, and such rotatable member is structured and arranged to be manually rotated with a screwdriver. Not only that, but it also provides such a fishing lure further comprising a friction fit between such rotatable member and such body; and also such a fishing lure further comprising depth-selection markers. This invention further provides such a fishing lure wherein: such second opening is substantially parallel to such first opening; such pitch control mechanism further comprises a second arm attached to, and perpendicular to, such rotatable member; and such second arm contacts, and influences the location of, such first arm. It also provides such a fishing lure wherein such depth-selection markers are located adjacent to such second opening in such body. Furthermore, it provides such a fishing lure wherein such pitch control mechanism further comprises an slidable-engagement member attached to such second arm, wherein such first arm slidably passes through such slidable-engagement member.
In addition to all of the above, this invention further provides a system for rotating a shaft through part of a rotation when another parallel shaft rotates through part of a rotation in the same direction comprising in combination: a second shaft rotatably mounted in at least one second bushing; a second arm attached substantially perpendicularly to such second shaft; an slidable-engagement member, wherein such slidable-engagement member is attached to such second arm; a first shaft, rotatably mounted in at least one first bushing, wherein such first shaft is held substantially parallel to such second shaft; and a first arm, wherein such first arm is attached substantially perpendicularly to such first shaft, and such first arm slidably passes through such slidable-engagement member. It also provides this system further comprising a friction fit between such second shaft and at least one such second bushing; and also this system wherein such first arm is curved. Not only that, but it also provides such a system wherein such first arm has a gradually varying cross section and such first arm is thicker in the middle, in at least one dimension, than at the ends. This invention also provides such a system further comprising a pivot where such second arm attaches to such slidable-engagement member; as well as such a system further comprising at lest two such second bushings and at least two such first bushings. Finally, this invention also provides such a system further comprising a friction fit between such second shaft and at least one such second bushing, wherein such system is located inside an adjustable-depth fishing lure, of the type used with a fishing line, for use in catching fish at user-selected water depths, wherein such fishing lure comprises in combination: a body, wherein such body is structured and arranged to attach to a hook and to a fishing line, and such body is structured and arranged to support such second bushings and such first bushings, and house such system; and two fins wherein such fins are located adjacent to such body, and such fins are attached to such first shaft; wherein such second shaft is structured and arranged to be rotated to adjust the pitch of such fins.